


Songs of Solangelo

by KCAndrews



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by Music, M/M, Mild Smut, Minor Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Minor Calypso/Leo Valdez, Minor Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Minor Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace are Cute, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace are Dorks, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Fluff, One Shot, Romantic Fluff, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KCAndrews/pseuds/KCAndrews
Summary: This is a collection of Solangelo one shots that are inspired by specific songs. In the notes of each one shot I will name off the song that inspired my writing. If you have any songs that you want to add to the list, drop them in the comments and I will do my best to write a Solangelo one shot around it. I do not make promises about how frequently I will be able to update, but I will be trying!
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Addicted to Love- Florence and the Machine
> 
> Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah  
> It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough  
> You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love
> 
> In which Nico doesn't want to admit he has feeling for Will... but Will isn't going to hide.

Will fucking Solace.

Why was Will Solace still running through Nico’s head? It was 2 am. He hadn’t been to sleep. Because Will’s beautiful dumb face was stuck in his head. Nico let out a deep sigh. He was thankful it was just him in Cabin 13. If there were any other campers in his cabin, they would have knocked him unconscious at this point. 

This was not the first night this week that Nico was up way to late thinking about Will Solace and how he had looked at the beach. Happy, carefree, absolutely fucking gorgeous. That tanned and toned body that had made the poor Italian boy’s brain stop functioning for an entire minute…

Nico rolled over agitated. He couldn’t get comfortable in his bed, it was too hot in the room, there were too many blankets on his bed. He punched his pillow a few times, that worked out a fraction of his frustration, but not nearly enough to sleep. 

Nico gave up the attempt to sleep. Instead he got up and wandered around his cabin. He wore a pair of black and skull patterned pajama pants that had been a Christmas gift from Jason a couple years back. He flipped on the lights as he walked through the cabin. It was smaller than the other cabins at Camp Half Blood, but when The Big Three had called it quits on having any more children to stop the prophecy from ages ago, Hades, his dad had taken his vow seriously. 

Though his cabin may be small there was an additional bed in the Hades cabin in case his sister Hazel came to visit. Not that she did often, but it was the right thing to do. He wandered to the communal area, aka his living room. He had been able talk Chiron into a tv, DVD player, and some old movies. Seeing as how he didn’t have any bunk mates, the centaur agreed.

He shuffled through the DVDs and threw in an oldie but a goodie, The Mummy. If he couldn’t sleep, he may as well fall watch the sexy Rick O’Connell fight a reanimated mummy and think about how he would deal with the situation in 2 seconds flat. He settled into the couch and covered himself with his giant skull fleece blanket. 

By the time Rick O’Connell shouted “It looks like you’re on the wrong side of the ri-ver.” He was asleep.  
***

Nico rolled his eyes when he heard the knock in his door. It couldn’t be morning yet. But a quick glance out the window told him otherwise. He sighed as he got up. He wrapped his skull blanket around his bare shoulders like a cloak as he went to answer the door. 

He wanted to laugh the minute he saw who it was. The entire fucking reason he couldn’t sleep last night was standing at Nico’s front door. And damn he looked good. Bronzed skin, sun kissed blond hair, ocean blue eyes, freckles for days... Looking at Will Solace made his heart ache. 

Of course Will was standing at his front door bright and early looking like literal sunshine, which, he kind of was, being the child of Apollo and all… In comparison Nico was like some kind of nocturnal trash panda. He stood in his black and while pajama pants, white blanket cloak, with his black hair probably on some bedraggled mess. 

Will offered Nico an easy smile. “Good morning sunshine.”

Gods, how could he be so chipper in the morning Nico thought to himself. 

“Morning Solace. Is there anything I can I can help you with?” He didn’t ask rudely, he was just wondering why the Apollo Cabin’s head counselor was at his door so bright and early in the morning. 

“Hey, so we have the first year campers today. I’m doing first aid on the practice field and you will be doing sword play with them. We will switch groups after lunch. Does that work?” Will asked. 

Nico noticed that Will’s gaze raked up and down his bare chest and that the taller boy swallowed hard as he finished his question. That only confused Nico. 

“Yeah, that sounds great. I’m glad we are getting some first aid out there today. Yesterday was a shit show, constantly having to send them to the medic tent.” Nico avoided Will’s eyes, instead he focused on the collar of Will’s orange camp t-shirt where it had a small hole from years of wear.

Will managed to work his gaze back up to Nico’s face. And for a split second, neither of the boys said anything. They just stared at each other, not wanting to make the first move. 

It was Will who broke the mini staring contest. 

“Yeah, I guess I’ll see you at the practice field. I’m excited to get to see you work today.” And with a wink he walked over in the direction of the dining pavilion.

What the actual fuck was that?

It was all Nico could think. Did Will Solace just flirt with me?  
*** 

As it turned out, Will Solace was absolutely flirting with him. 

After dressing in his black Camp Half Blood t-shirt black slim fit jeans. He slid on his combat boots. As he strode out the door, he grabbed his stygian blade and wrapped the leather belt around his waist. He made his way over to the arena. Like most days, Nico skipped breakfast and went straight to preparing for the day. 

By the time all the first year campers and the first aid supplies showed up, he had set up some dummies for the kids to hack at instead of each other and pulled out the wooden practice swords because they had proven that metal swords needed to wait another day or two. 

Will walked into the arena and smiled when he saw Nico. The Italian boy felt his heart do a somersault. Why is he looking at me like that?

Nico waved and swallowed hard. He could do this. It was an ordinary day teaching these kids how to use deadly weapons. Ok, maybe that wasn’t ordinary. But it was his ordinary dammit. And these kids needed practice. They were still covered in bandages from the day before. Unfortunately the campers this year were clumsy. Not cute clumsy. No. Yesterday during training one of the new boys got cocky and was messing around when almost cleaved his friends arm off. 

That was why Will was in the arena today. To hopefully help minimize attempted amputations and for immediate help if anyone tried.

“So how are we going to split the group?” Will asked as he walked up to Nico and moved in closer than necessary. “Boys and girls? You take that half and I’ll take this half? Tallest to shortest?” 

Will punctuated shortest by bumping his shoulder against Nico’s. 

Nico’s skin felt hot where Will’s shoulder had bumped his, he tried not to blush as he kept his breathing steady. 

Nico rolled his eyes. Yes, he was short. This wasn’t news to him. “Well, boys and girls seems a bit sexist, and shortest to tallest just sounds rude. I say we just split them down the middle. You take this group and I’ll take this group.” 

“Alright, sounds like a plan.” Will gave Nico a lopsided grin and held his eyes just a moment too long. 

Yup, Will Solace is flirting with me. Fuck.  
*** 

With the group of newbies split up, it was easier to work in small groups and explain the importance of footwork and defensive movements. Nico had worked the campers hard. But he was getting results. He only had to send a couple of stab wound victims over to Will. It was 11:30 in the morning and he called it with the first group so they could go wash up for lunch.  
Nico had pulled his hair into the small bun that kept his hair out of his eyes while training. His shirt was sticking to him and he needed water. As he turned to check on Will’s group he smacked right into the healer’s chest. 

“Hey,” Will’s voice was low, “I thought you could use some water.” 

Nico met Will’s eyes and bit his lip. “Yeah, water would be nice.” 

Not breaking gaze Will handed Nico the canteen he had brought with him from his side of the arena. 

Nico absently opened the top and took a drink, all while maintaining the eye contact. Some of the water dribbled down his chin and neck. Will’s gaze shifted to Nico’s lips. As if he were acting on instinct, Will ducked his head and licked the water that had run down Nico’s neck. 

Nico stopped breathing and this time his brain short circuited. Obviously that didn’t just happen. Did it? There’s no way in hell that the son of Apollo would be interested in him, the son of Hades. Was there?

Will’s eyes were heavily lidded when he straightened back up and met Nico’s gaze again.

When Will spoke again, his voice was thick, “I’ll see you at lunch right? I noticed you skipped breakfast.” 

All Nico could do was nod. 

“Good.” With one final wink, Will smiled and walked toward his cabin to wash up for lunch. 

Nico stood in the arena for a few more minutes and drank the water from the canteen. 

Oh, yes. Will Solace was definitely flirting with him.  
*** 

Nico did say he was going to lunch. He did not say he was going to eat. He sat at the Hades table and picked at his meal. His hamburger bun was torn up and the burger untouched. He did nibble at a few fries as his mind took a field trip. He replayed Will licking his neck in the empty arena over and over again. 

Campers had started to empty out of the pavilion and back to their respective cabins before meeting for their afternoon sessions. Nico was so lost in thought he hadn’t even noticed that someone had sat down at his table across from him until they gently kicked his feet. When his trance broke he found himself face to face with Will Solace once again. He groaned.

“Will,” He dropped his face into his hands, “What are you doing over here? Won’t you get in trouble?”

Will held up a piece of paper. “Doctor’s note. I noticed when I left you in the arena you were a little short of breath, so I figured I would check on you.” His blue eyes twinkled mischievously as he grinned. 

“Hmm, I wonder why?” Nico raised his head up out of his hands and looked at will. “Why on earth would I possibly be short of breath? Could it have something to do with you licking me?” 

Will laughed easily. “Well, I’ve been flirting with you for weeks and you haven’t been getting the hints. So I figured I would make it extremely hard for you to ignore this time.”

“You’ve been flirting with me for weeks?” Nico raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Will said matter-of-factly. “Did… did you miss the part where I invited you to the beach? And no one else went with us…” Will laughed, “You really didn’t put two and two together, did you?”

Nico sat at his table stunned. He looked down and poked at his fries while he answered. 

“Will…” his voice was quiet, “Why? Why me? What could you, a literal ray of fucking sunshine want with me? A doom and gloom death boy? It makes no sense. Yes, you’re hot as fuck, you’re gentle, you’re compassionate. You’re the exact opposite of me. You’re… you’re so far out of my league that you’re playing an entirely different game.” 

Will placed a hand on Nico’s chin and pulled it up so that Nico met his eyes. “I could say the same about you, ya know? You are brave and strong and independent. You are fearless and ruthless in battle. You are in a league all you own too.” 

The blond boy blushed. It was his turn to find out how interesting French fries could be to poke at. 

Nico didn’t know what to say. So instead he sat there and stared at Will who tried to build a French fry man with what was left of Nico’s fries. 

The dinning area was completely cleared out. Just the pair remained. 

After the long silence, Nico spoke first. “Wanna come back to my cabin and watch part of a movie or something? We’ve got like an hour to kill before we head back out to the arena.” He had no idea what he was thinking, but he did know that not talking about things would just make it weirder than it already was. 

“I’d like that.” Will smiled and tossed the contents of the plate in the trash as they headed out of the pavilion.  
*** 

The walk to Cabin 13 was awkward. A couple of the campers shot the duo questioning looks. Nico did his best to avoid eye contact with everyone. Will didn’t seem to mind and waved at a couple of his cabin mates as they strolled past. 

Once they were behind the closed door of Cabin 13, Nico shook his attempted pony tail out. It felt good to literally let his hair down. He raked his hands through his hair and look over at Will as he removed his sword from his belt. It was strange to have another person in the cabin that he wasn’t related to. Aside from odd visit from Jason no one really visited Nico’s cabin. But Will looked perfectly at peace as he flopped down on the couch.

“So what movie were you thinking of?” Will looked over to the stack of DVDs. 

Nico was a bit embarrassed that he didn’t have more movies. But mostly he put them on when he couldn’t sleep or if he wanted back ground noise. He didn’t really watch many of them. 

Nico shrugged. “I’m about halfway through The Mummy if you don’t mind we can finfish it.”

Will nodded. “Sure, I haven’t ever seen it, but I’m game.”

Nico froze and turned to stare at the guy. He may be perfect in a few ways, but who the fuck had never seen The Mummy?

“Oh. No, no, no, no. If you haven’t seen The Mummy, we are starting at the beginning and you will come back tonight after dinner to finish it.” Nico blurted out. “It’s a classic and everyone needs to watch it.”

Will laughed. “Ok, you don’t need to twist my arm. I would love to come back over tonight.”

Nico blushed as he sat down next to Will on the couch. He punched the button on the remote begin the movie over again. 

As the movie started, Will “stretched” and dropped his arm on the back of the couch. Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The air between the boys was full of tension and electricity. If he hadn’t known better, Nico would have thought someone had pissed off Jason nearby. But that was impossible because he was at Camp Jupiter working on building new shrines for the minor gods. Instead what hung in the air was longing and hormones. 

Will inched his arm down onto Nico’s shoulders and Nico did not pull away. In fact, he found himself drawn into Will’s body. Nico kicked off his boots and pulled his feet up under him as he leaned in the tiniest bit towards Will. That was all the invitation Will needed. He pulled Nico in close to him and wrapped his arm around Nico’s waist.

At first, it caught Nico off guard. How could people be so willy-nilly about physical contact? Then he remembered that will was a medic and probably didn’t have an aversion to touching anyone. It was a foreign concept to Nico. That people cuddled and were physically close to others in any way. But with Will, it seemed natural. Even if the air was charged.

They watched as Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan set off on their boat doomed for destruction. By the time the trio got to the lost city of Hamunaptra, it was time to pause the movie. Nico sighed. He wasn’t ready to leave. He had just started to relax and the air had lost some of its tension as the pair snuggled close during the movie.

“Noooooo, it can’t be time yet. It was just getting good.” Will pulled Nico in tighter. When he spoke again it was much softer, “and I really like to cuddle with you. I don’t want to let you go.”

Will nuzzled his face into Nico’s hair and kissed the mop of black hair.

Nico froze. It was the second time that day that Will had put his lips on his body. His heart broke into a sprint. 

“Well, it is time to go. I’m sorry Will. But like I said, we can finish it after dinner.” Nico said. It was obvious that he was flustered.

Nico went to stand but Will had caught his hand and pulled him back into his body. Only this time Nico was face to face with Will and his lips were only a couple inches from Will’s mouth. 

“Do you promise?” Will’s voice was husky. 

Nico’s throat was tight, he couldn’t speak, instead he nodded. Will’s eyes were so deep and blue it was only a matter of time before Nico would drown in them. Acting purely out of reflex, Nico kissed Will. 

Nico closed his eyes and focused on how it felt. For a split second, Will’s body was rigid as if he hadn’t anticipated a kiss. But once the blond boy realized what Nico was doing, he relaxed. Will pulled Nico into his space. And Nico let himself be pulled. It wasn’t like Nico to relinquish control, but he felt safe with Will. 

Will wrapped his arms around Nico. One hand worked into Nico’s dark hair and tugged slightly. His other had on Nico’s back slipped under his black shirt. Nico groaned and melted into Will. Nico bit at Will’s lip and pulled his face in as close as he could. Will moaned into the kiss.

There was a knock at the door and the boys jumped apart as if they had been electrocuted. Nico rushed to open the door.

It was Kayla. Will’s sister.  
***  
At this point, Nico was convinced Will was trying to kill him. He had to be. First with flirting. Then with making out with him. And now his sister was at the door. Though she didn’t seem mad or concerned. If anything, she looked mildly annoyed.

Kayla looked at Nico, taking in his socked feet and lack of sword. 

“Hey, it’s time for you to be down at the practice arena. Is Will here? Austin said he saw him come in with you.”

“Yeah, I’m here Kayla.” Will popped up behind Nico. As though he hadn’t been sucking the face off of Nico 3 seconds ago. “What’s up? We were watching The Mummy.”

Kayla didn’t saw a word, but she did raise a knowing brow. “It’s time for both of you to be down at the practice arena.” 

“Right,” Nico said. And he went to step out of his cabin. 

“Preferably with shoes on Nico di Angelo.” Kayla said as she turned and walked toward the archery range. 

Nico shut the door and scrunched up his nose and scrubbed his hands across his face. “Oh. My. GODS. She knows.”

Will laughed, “Well of course she knows. I’ve talked to her…” He looked at the ground as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve talked to her about my crush on you.”

Nico stared at Will in complete disbelief. Once again he was wondering why Will could possibly have a crush on him. He really needed to start pushing those thoughts to the side. It was very obvious that the tall blond boy really did have feelings for him. 

Nico sighed. “Okay. I’m gonna put my boots on, grab my blade, and we are going to head back to the practice arena. We are going to finish training for the afternoon. Then we need to have a talk.” 

The short Italian teen stomped over to his boots and laced them up. Will watched him with a smirk on his face. 

Will chuckled, “Yes dear, if you say so.”  
*** 

Throughout the rest of the day training the first year campers was significantly harder. Nico’s mind kept running to his cabin. More specifically, to Will Solace making out with him on his couch in his cabin. 

His thoughts wandered to things he could have been doing if Kayla hadn’t knocked on the door… How Will’s lips were soft on his, how it felt to have Will’s hand in his hair and how he tugged gently, how Will’s strong arms wrapped around him… 

Nico’s heart hammered in his chest and it had nothing to do with the sparring he was doing. He had to tell himself multiple times to stop looking over to see what Will was doing. But every so often when Nico did chance a glance over to the first aid side of the arena, Will was looking at him too. 

The afternoon dragged by. The minutes slowed as if the titan Kronos himself were trying to spite Nico. 

Nico continued to teach the 11 and 12 year olds. Though his temper was marginally shorter than it had been with the first group. He showed his trainees how to use defensive moves and the steps to take that would help them evade their attackers. 

When 5:30 rolled around, even with his hair pulled back and off his neck, he was once again soaked in sweat. And just like last time, Will brought him a canteen filled with cool water. Only this time, Nico watched the other boy walk up to him. He noted the confidence in his walk and the shyness in his eyes. Will was an enigma. 

Nico met Will’s eye and smiled. “Thanks Solace.” He took a drink. “What, you’re not going to lick me this time?”

“Only if you want me to, but there are a few campers clearing out the medical supplies over there,” Will reached for Nico’s waist and pulled him, “so I assumed that you wouldn’t want me to. But I’d be happy to oblige...”

Nico’s blush responded for him. It screamed You’re right! And Will let him go. 

“I’m gonna head back to the Apollo cabin and wash up for dinner… unless you’re wanting to do that talk now…” Will left his question open ended.

“Nah, go ahead and clean up. I’m gross and need to shower before dinner anyway.” Nico wanted some time to think about what he should say to Will. He knew it was going to be a stilted conversation. Any time he attempted to open up, it was uncomfortable. There was always the potential for rejection. 

Will bumped Nico’s hip with his own. “See you in a bit then.” The blond winked as he turned away. 

Nico headed back to his cabin. The Mummy was still paused on the TV. The room was exactly the same as he had left it. So why did his communal living space feel so different. He placed his blade by the door and kicked off his boots. He hadn’t been kidding about the shower. He was disgusting. If he was going to talk about his feelings, he didn’t want to do it smelling like a gym sock.

He walked to his bathroom and pealed out of his sweat soaked clothes. He turned the water on and let it warm up. As well as the TV that Chiron had let him get, he had also scored a CD player. He put in one of his favorite disks. It was a fluke that he had even managed to find the disk. It was the Greatest Italian Hits of the 40’s. It was what he listened to when he needed to think. It brought him back to a time when life was easier and he was carefree. 

He stepped into the shower and sang along to the music. He washed the day away and scrubbed his hair. He stood in the shower and let the music and the water pour over him. 

What did he want to talk to Will about?

Was it the way he lit up a room when he smiled?  
Was it how gentle he worked with those he healed?  
Was it the way he looked at Nico so earnestly?  
Was it how he had made Nico not feel so alone?

He wanted to tell Will about all of those things. But how? He was Death Boy. The Ghost King. He was as loveless and emotionless as a tombstone. His heart was wrapped in brambles. It wasn’t intentional. He was just jaded, and he knew it. Bianca had chosen the Hunters and died soon after. Hazel lived across the country. His father was literally the ruler of the Underworld. It’s not like warm and fuzzy were feelings that came naturally to him. 

How the fuck was he supposed to tell the son of Apollo that he warmed the cockles of Nico’s cold and bitter heart? That wasn’t exactly a beautiful declaration of love. Not that he loved Will… yet. He could picture himself falling for Will over time. How could he not?

He sighed deeply and turned off the too hot water. He towel dried his hair then wrapped his towel around his waist. Once out of the shower he ran a brush through his hair and put in some of the curl defining mouse that Piper demanded he start using. He would never tell his friend, but his hair had been looking better lately. 

He left the bathroom and flopped on to his bed. He felt no desire to move. Today was only half as physically exhausting as it had been emotionally exhausting. And his day wasn’t done. He had to eat dinner and still have the talk with Will. 

He rolled his eyes. He’d better get it started if he wanted to get it done. And that meant getting dressed and heading to dinner. 

His Italian music played in the background as he pulled a pair of black (surprise) boxer briefs and a pair of black skinny jeans out of his dresser. Instead of his usually tattered jeans, these were his good pants without any signs of distress. He found a black (seriously, is it any surprise???) band tee and pulled it over his head. He grabbed a pair of no show black socks and slid on his vans. He took one last look in the mirror. His black earrings glinted back at him. It was as good as he was going to get. 

He went to the door and took a deep breath. His heart started to gallop. He didn’t want to bear his soul to Will Solace, but it would hurt much worse if he didn’t. He could try to deny his feelings, but look where that had gotten him. A few years ago he had been outed by the pissed off god of love. He had worked hard to stop suppressing big emotions. And what he felt right now was gigantic. He told himself that he would get through this night one way or another. He was strong enough to survive. He always had before.  
*** 

On his way to dinner he noticed a couple of campers stared at him. He scowled in their direction. He was used to people having talk about him. He was the son of one of the big three. He was the child of Hades. People often gossiped about what he was like. Not many people aside from the seven had much to do with him. That is aside from Will Solace. Ever since the battle against Gaia a couple years ago, he had always been around. Will checked in Nico and made sure that he was staying healthy. At least as healthy as Nico ever was.

When Nico walked into the dining pavilion, he realized what everyone had been staring and whispering about. 

Will Solace was sitting at his table with two plates of food in front of him. When Will spotted Nico he broke into a huge grin and waved. Nico rubbed the back his neck and gave a small wave back. He walked over to the blond boy who sat at his table. 

After he settled into the bench across from Will, Nico spoke, “What will Chiron say? Or Mr. D?”

Will’s smile widened, “I have another doctor’s note here stating that you should have some company at your table. That you’ve been a little more lonely than normal. I mean I could always write it so that you could sit at the Apollo-”

“Nope, here is fine.” Nico realized that Will had thought out this more than he had. They guy really must have had it bad for him. The thought made Nico puff his chest a little bit. 

“Alright, so what’s for dinner tonight?” Nico asked as he looked down at his plate. It was pizza. Not good Italian pizza with a crispy crust, and tomato sauce to die for (pun intended) like he used to eat when he was younger. He wrinkled his nose slightly at the American pizza that had a thick crust and way too much cheese. 

“Pizza.” Will said flatly. He didn’t seem too enthused at the dish either. 

Regardless, Nico was going to enjoy this meal with a friend? More than a friend? Person who happened to be sitting at his table? Fuck, this was confusing.

Nico took a moment and really looked at Will. His hair was still damp as though he had showered before dinner. He was wore a pair of denim jeans and a light blue cotton t-shirt. Will’s blue eyes glittered and danced. Nico could see that he was excited, and he couldn’t help the little bubble of excitement that rolled over in his stomach. Were those the butterflies that people talked about?

“You look nice.” Nico blurted out. “I mean, not that you usually don’t, it’s just that light blue looks good on you. It makes your eyes pop.” 

I really fucking suck at this. Nico thought as looked away from Will’s warm gaze and down at his pizza. For the second time that day he was too worked up to eat. 

Will chuckled, “Thank you, Nico. You look nice too.”

Nico blush crawled up his cheeks. “Thanks.”

The pair sat at the table in silence for a minute while they picked at their meals. The initial whispers around them started to fade as the other campers realized that Will wasn’t in any immediate danger. 

Will broke the silence, “Let’s play 20 questions. I’ll start. What is your favorite drink?”

Nico smiled, “An ice cold coke on a hot day and a good cappuccino on a cold day. What about you?” 

“Lemonade in the summer and hot apple cider when its cold.” Will answered easily.

“My turn.” Nico pealed the crust off his pizza and took a bite. “What is your favorite song?”

Will stared at him for a minute. “Dude… I’m the child of Apollo. You know, the god of music. It’s seriously impossible for me to pick a single song to be my favorite.” 

Nico laughed. “Fair enough, we’ll scratch that question. What is your favorite way to relax?

Will thought for a moment. “I like to play guitar. I know it sounds cheesy, but when it’s just me and the music, I am the most at peace.”

“No, that’s not cheesy. That’s genuine.” Nico smiled softly at Will.

“Ok, what about you? What do you like to do to unwind?” Will asked.

“Honestly, I don’t really have an answer for that. After a day of training I retreat back to my cabin and, I don’t know, put on a movie. Listen to music?” Nico shrugged and realized that he was kind of boring. “Sometimes I play Mythomagic I guess.”

Will’s eyes lit up, “Could you teach me?”

Nico smiled, “Sure. Just let me know when.”

“Ok!” Will seemed genuinely excited to learn the game. “Alright, what does ambrosia taste like to you?”

“Lemon gelato. What about you?” Nico noticed that Chiron looked over at the duo and aske Mr. D something. 

“Really good barbecue.” Will also seemed to notice Chiron’s interest in the two of them and pulled out his doctors note.

“Well, I’m glad I had this prepared just in case…” Will’s voice trailed off as Chiron walked over to the table.

“Will, why aren’t you over at the Apollo table? Is there something wrong?” The centaur was always concerned about the wellbeing of his demigods. He wanted nothing but the best for each and every one of them.

“Yeah, no. We’re good here. I just noticed that Nico is kind of withdrawing a bit and want to help him in any way that I can. I figured he could use a friend to talk to.” Will met Nico’s eye and winked at him. “Here, I even have a doctors note. He shouldn’t be alone so frequently.” 

Nico bit lips and nodded. He did his best to not give them away. “Yeah, Will is just being a good friend and talking me through some stuff.” 

Chiron looked concerned, “Nico, if you need anything, please let me know. I will do anything I can to help. Well, we will adjust the seating for the time being. If anything changes just let me know.”

As he gave them one last look he eyed them closely. The boys attempted their best poker faces and waved at Chiron as he walked away.

“How long do you think we can get away with that?” Nico asked honestly interested in Will’s answer. 

“Hopefully long enough for me to convince you to date me. After that, maybe we can both move to the Apollo table and not be the center of so much attention.” Will watched Nico to gauge his reaction. 

Nico nodded and took a drink. So Will wants to date me. The realization of it made Nico’s stomach roll over. How was he supposed to date anyone? He was still new-ish to being out of the closet. It had taken all of his courage to tell Percy that he wasn’t into him. How could he tell the beautiful guy in front of him that he was interested in him?

It was Nico’s turn for a question. And he was glad that they weren’t sitting with Will’s siblings. 

“I came out, a couple years ago.” Nico looked at Will’s chest, it was easier to speak to the light blue cotton than Will’s deep blue eyes. “And… I haven’t really… I just… I guess what I’m trying to say is that even though I am out,” Nico spoke slowly, “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never been in a relationship. Ever.”

Will sat quietly and listened to Nico talk. It was obvious he had more to get off his chest. 

“Gods, I don’t want to ask this and sound like a child, but what have your other relationships been like? Surely it was easier than this.” Nico gestured vaguely at himself. 

Will waited for Nico to look up, and when he did, he smiled at Nico. “I don’t really have any past relationships either. Just a month or two here and there. I haven’t felt truly comfortable with anyone. But being around you is easy. From the battle for Camp Half Blood against Gaia a couple years ago, something just clicked. I didn’t know if we were just supposed to be good friends, or if you would want something more. But you had a lot of healing to do. It took some time, but I can tell you are much better physically and mentally.” 

Nico sat quietly for a while. He needed to think about what Will had just said. Will Solace had just said that he wanted to be with him. And had wanted to be with him for a couple of years.

Nico met Will’s eyes. “Thank you for giving me the time to heal.”  
*** 

Campers had emptied out of the dining pavilion and there were just a few stragglers in the area. Their dinner conversation had ended up heavier than he had intended, but Nico wasn’t surprised.

“Want to go for a walk?” Will asked.

Nico nodded and threw the trash from their meal out. 

They wandered around camp and found themselves at the beach. The one where Nico and Will had gone swimming a week ago. How had Nico been so dense? It had been just the two of them. And while it was strange that other campers hadn’t taken advantage of the beach, he had assumed it was a platonic day with a platonic friend. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize…” Nico looked at the sand and pushed it around with the toe of his shoe. The pair sat on a piece of driftwood that was just wide enough for the two of them.

“You didn’t realize that last week was my lame attempt at a date? Yeah. It wasn’t my best plan. So you’re off the hook about that one.” Will smiled and bumped Nico with his shoulder. 

“It wasn’t lame. I just… I didn’t understand. I’m sorry.” And Nico was. He wished he wasn’t so cynical. Maybe then he could have seen the signs that Will had been dropping for a while. 

“So why today? Why did you pick today to really make it obvious that you had feelings for me? Why did you come to my door this morning?” Nico was curious.

Will grinned and blushed. “I picked today because if I didn’t, Kayla threatened to tell you everything I felt. It just so happened that I got to your door this morning before she did. She’s a little tired of hearing ‘Nico this’ and ‘Nico that’. In true sisterly fashion, after my failed date, she gave me a week or she was going to do it.”

Nico laughed. “So you only did it because that would have been a hell of a lot more awkward if you hadn’t, huh?” 

Will nodded grimly. “Yup.”

“Well, I for one, am glad that she threatened you.” Nico scooted a bit closer to will on their makeshift bench. 

They sat on the beach and watched the sun go down. The air had cooled a bit. Nico sighed. He really was content. But he had a promise to make good on. He rose to stand in front of Will. He stretched his hand out. 

“A promise is a promise, let’s go finish that movie.” He smiled lightly at Will.

Will’s eyes lit up. He took Nico’s hand and they laced their fingers together. It was late enough that most of the campers were headed in for the evening.  
*** 

Once they were back in Cabin 13, Will and Nico took off their shoes and headed to the couch. 

“Gods, I don’t know why they insist on serving us that pizza. No one really likes it.” Nico was hungry and grumpy. He hadn’t really eaten all day because of the tidal wave of emotions that had taken over his stomach. Now with everything out in the open, he had started to feel hungry. 

“Except Percy,” both boys spoke in unison. They laughed together.

“Seriously, how can he eat it?” Will asked. 

“Sure beats the hell out of me.” Nico replied. 

“It’s so bad! And now I’m going to be hungry until breakfast tomorrow morning.” Will whined.

“Well, Will Solace, leave me a list of snacks and I will some them up next time I shadow travel for contraband snacks.” Nico pulled out an inconspicuous tote full of snacks and sweets.

Will just stared at Nico. “Where the fuck has this been all the other pizza nights?” 

Nico laughed. “Next time we have pizza, I’ll bring you back for post dinner snacks. I promise. Now, pick something or the box is going up.” Nico raised his brow and looked at Will until he picked something. Nico pulled out a pack of Oreo’s, put the tote away, and the headed to the couch. 

Will sat on the couch with his chips while he watched Nico settle in. 

“Really? The opposite end of the couch? I just spilled my guts to you about my feelings and you don’t want to sit closer?” Will pretended to pout. 

Nico rolled his eyes but moved closer. “Better?”

Will grinned, “Much!” 

“Ready?” Nico asked.

“Let’s see how terribly they screw this up.” Will laughed.

By the time the credits rolled, both boys were laying on the couch fast asleep under the fleecy skull blanket.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Heart I Surrender- I Prevail
> 
> Will our stars ever align?  
> Will two hearts, beat in time?  
> These words you should always remember,  
> To you, my heart I surrender.
> 
> In which Nico is grown and tattooed and has been pining for Will for a long time.

It wasn’t easy being an 18 year old demigod, especially not the heavily tattooed, heavily pierced, all black wearing son of Hades. His job was to teach 10 and 11 year olds to stay away from the pointy end of the sword. And to teach 12 year olds and up more advanced sword fighting skills. Often the young demigods were afraid of the older dark haired boy. 

It had been 8 years since he’d been brought to Camp Half Blood. He had survived the Battle of Manhattan. He had survived Tartarus alone. He managed to survive the shadow travel that had almost killed him getting the Athena Parthenos back to camp. But what he lived through now was sure to kill him. 

During his time in the infirmary with Will following the shadow traveling events, he developed a crush. It was in the way Will smiled at him. It was how Will was kind to him. It was Will’s gentle touch any time that he needed to be healed from an over enthusiastic camper. It was how genuine Will always was. 

Yes, the ray of sunshine that was Will Solace made Nico’s brittle heart soften. Nico had silently pined for Will for years now. Even now, as Will was on his way to the medic tent with his siblings, Nico’s heart clenched. Will was in his typical faded blue jeans and orange camp shirt, and vans but he looked so fucking good. How he did it, Nico would never know. 

“You got a little something there,” Piper reached for his chin. 

Nico rolled his eyes and nonchalantly wiped at his chin, “Shut up, Piper.” 

***   
Piper had grown up to be a beautiful young woman. Her eyes sparkled as she teased Nico. The daughter of Aphrodite could be wildly annoying at times, but she also was a good friend. 

Their friendship wasn’t one that either of them had anticpated, but when Percy and Annabeth left for New Rome where Reyna, Jason, Hazel and Frank were, it left them and Leo at camp. The three of them had been a part of the life altering journey that separated them from the rest of the demigods at camp. The trio had become close.

Leo and Piper were probably Nico’s only friends at Camp Half Blood. Piper had even gone with him most of the times that he snuck out of camp to get a new tattoo. 

Chiron hadn’t said a word when Nico finally got a tattoo in a visible location, the centaur just raised his brow and went on his way. Since that day, Nico popped in and out of camp at will collecting as much as ink as he could. Each tattoo and piercing made him feel more comfortable in his skin.  
*** 

When Will had strayed out of view, Piper turned to Nico.

“Are you ever going to make a move? Or are you just going to pine after him like a love sick puppy until you die?” Her tone wasn’t rude. 

“Love sick puppy till I die, why?” Nico turned and gave Piper a cynical grin, “It’s easier than being turned down by someone that…” he trailed off.

“Someone that you love.” Piper’s voice was gentle. 

Nico looked at the ground. “Something like that. Anyway Pipes, it’s time to get on with our day. Maybe a young camper will skewer me and put me out of my misery.” He spoke with a grin. 

Piper rolled her eyes dramatically, “Well, if that happens, I’m giving your eulogy.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way, sorella.” Nico laughed and made his way to the sword fighting arena. 

He hadn’t been fully kidding about getting skewered. Sometimes working with the new campers was fucking scary. He had more scars on his body from them than he did from Tartarus. And that was saying something. 

As he made his way to the arena, he saw Will again and his stomach dropped. It had been almost 5 years since his time in the infirmary, why wouldn’t the feelings just go away?  
*** 

“Nico, you can’t just shadow travel whenever you want. It takes too much out of you.” Will spoke evenly though Nico could see the frustration behind his eyes.

“How else was I supposed to get the Parthenos back to camp? I couldn’t exactly FedEx it.” Nico was annoyed. He’d done his job, he’d save the world. Again. He was tired and cranky and just wanted to sleep.

Will’s expression softened. “Nico, what you did saved all of us. But you don’t need to die in the process. So please, please don’t shadow travel unless you are strong enough next time. Don’t push yourself to this extent.”

Nico’s irritation receded as he took in the look on Will’s face. It was clear that the golden haired boy was upset. It wasn’t an ‘I-don’t-want-to-lose-another-demigod’ look. It was more of an ‘I-don’t-want-to-lose-you-Nico-di Angelo’ look.

“Ok, I won’t do anything too stupid in the future. But if I do, wanna be the one to bandage me up?” Nico tried to lighten up the mood. 

Will gave a tight lipped smile, “I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon Death Boy, so you’re in luck.”

Nico rolled his eyes, “I thought I told you not to call me Death Boy.”

“Don’t get so close to death, and I won’t.” Will’s smile started to soften and become more genuine. 

Nico let out a brisk laugh, “Will, you do realize that Hades is my father, as in the god of the underworld. I’m as close to death as you can get.” 

Will rolled his eye, “Yeah, well, try not to die. You… You fight good. And we need good fighters.”

Nico laughed. “Whatever you say.”

It was because of Will that Nico tried to take better care of himself. Emphasis on tried. He ate more regularly and got into a more regular sleeping pattern, he even tried to drink more water. 

Of course, having sustained the amount of trauma that he had, there were times that he had regressed, but overall, he looked significantly healthier than he had in a long time. He had put on some weight. The olive color of his skin had returned. The life in his eyes had come back. 

He didn’t want to disappoint Will Solace.   
*** 

As he walked into the arena he saw two 15 or 16 year old girls sitting in the back whispering to each other that kept looking over in his direction. 

He rolled his eyes. He knew where this was going. It had happened twice in the last few years. He got the other campers set up in groups of three. Two to spar, one to watch or call a medic if need be. 

“Tabitha and Felicity, your with me.” He tried to muffle his sigh. 

The girls got up excitedly and followed him to put on their armor and pick their swords.

Nico of course had all black armor. 

A few years back, Leo had teased Nico for months about how the worn brown leather totally ruined Nico’s clad in black bad boy aesthetic. By the millionth time Nico heard Leo’s teasing, the son of Hephaestus handed him a birthday gift. A bottle of Doc Bailey’s Leather Black. The boys had worked together over the weekend and bam, Nico had all black leather armor. 

Once the three were suited up, Nico pulled them to the back of the arena out of hearing range for the other groups. 

“Position one,” Nico called out, and the girls stood to face each other. 

He ran the girls through some of the practice drills. Defensive and offensive. Felicity was quicker, but Tabitha was stronger. Both girls worked hard, eager to please the senior camper. 

“Ok, break. Catch your breath and we’ll go again.” Nico kept his face passive. He knew one of the girls was going to ask. 

It was Felicity. “So, Nico…” 

The girl was pretty, even he could admit that. Long chestnut hair and hazel eyes. Her cheeks were sprinkled with a light dusting of freckles. But, she was not his type.

“Look, I already know what you’re going to ask. I know this because it’s happened to me a couple times.” He spoke gently, he didn’t want to be rude. People who were hurt could get nasty. “I know you both see an Italian guy with an accent and tattoos who wears all black. And you’re thinking that maybe we could go out sometime. Right?”

Both girls stared at him uncomfortably. 

“I get it, I see heavily tattooed guys and it makes me weak too.” He put the emphasis on too in hopes of not having to be explicit. 

Tabitha’s brows knit together. “Wait, guys make you weak too?”

Nico looked at the ground and rubbed his neck. “Yup.”

The air hung heavily around the three of them.

“Huh, that sucks.” Felicity chewed her lip and wouldn’t meet Nico’s eyes. 

Tabitha’s face was as red as her hair her blue eyes were glued to her shoes. “I’m so sorry. Gods, this is so embarrassing.” 

“We… see you with Piper all the time… and thought you guys…” Felicity asked.

At that, Nico burst into laughter. “HAHAHAHAHAHA! Me and Piper? HAHAHAHHAHAHA!”

He knew it was in poor taste, but he couldn’t help it. The thought of him and Piper together was just too comical not to laugh at.

“But… you don’t seem…” Tabitha’s face wasn’t as red, but she refused to look up from her shoes. 

“I don’t seem gay?” Nico finished the sentence. He ducked his head to meet both of the girls’ eyes. 

The girls nodded in unison. 

“Trust me, it’s not for a lack of trying.” He said bitterly. “Hey, I’ve got a question for both of you. Do you know when my birthday is?”

“It’s sometime in January, right?” Tabitha answered.

“You are correct. But do you happen to know what year I was born?” He raised his brow.

Felicity rolled her eyes. “Eighteen or nineteen years ago obviously.” 

“1932. I was born in 1932. Being gay wasn’t something to be loud or proud about. I am not vocal about my sexuality. But when Cupid makes you face a brutal reality about yourself that you’ve tried to suppress…” Nico bit his lip. 

“Please know that I’m not trying to offend either of you. I just want to be up front with you.” Nico offered the girls a soft smile. “I hope you’re not mad at me.”

Tabitha sighed. “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.” Her nose wrinkled. “You’re just… you’re so hot.”

Nico laughed again. “Thank you for your flattery.”

“Ok, so since you’re gay, is there any special guy that you’ve got your eye on?” Felicity spoke. Her voice was less bristled. 

It was Nico’s turn to be shy. He snuck a glance over to the medic tent. “Nah, not really. And even if there was a guy, I don’t think he’d be interested in me back.” 

The girls looked at each other. 

“Uh huh, whatever you say.” Tabitha smirked. 

Nico flushed and clapped his hands, “Ok, let’s get back to work. The sooner we get done with practice, the sooner we have down time.”

For the next hour, Nico, Tabitha, and Felicity worked through complex steps and moves. Nico corrected Tabitha’s stance and showed Felicity a few steps to take that would make her even deadlier to an opponent. The time passed quickly and soon it was time to break for the day. 

“Are we good?” Nico asked before separating from the girls. 

“Yeah,” Felicity spoke, “We are good. Also, we aren’t going to say anything. Right, Tabitha?”

Tabitha nodded. “If you don’t want to be super public with you sexuality, no one is allowed to make you be. If you’re more comfortable like this, then we respect you.” 

Nico smiled. “Grazie, ladies.” 

He went to check on how the other campers had faired in their small groups. Everyone was alive and only minor cuts and bruises. All in all, a successful day from the sword fighting arena. It wasn’t always that bloodless.   
*** 

“Aye! Nico, where are you headed?” Leo jogged up to him on his way back to cabin 13.

“My cabin. I’m gross and want to take a shower.” Nico eyed him closely, “Why?”

Leo grinned. He wore grease stained work jeans and a shirt that had once been bright orange but was now more of a muddied brown color. “Wanna practice playing tonight?” 

“Sure, that sounds like fun. Before or after the bonfire?” A couple months ago Leo had come up to Nico holding a two guitars and oozing excitement. Nico wasn’t the greatest guitar player, but fuck it. He and his friend had fun playing around. 

“Sweet! Let’s plan for after. Piper said something about roasting marshmallows tonight.” Leo licked his lips. He was a sucker for the roasted sweets. “I know, I know. They aren’t your favorite, but come hang out with us at the campfire.”

“Fine,” Nico rolled his eyes playfully. In truth he did enjoy the campfires and seeing his friends have fun. “I’ll go with you guys tonight. No need to twist my arm.”

“Great, I’m gonna go work in the shop a bit more. If you get bored you can come on over, ya know.” Leo was always inviting people into the forge. Unfortunately it was more dangerous than teaching first year campers how to not chop off each other’s limbs.

“Ok, I might head over after I see Piper.” Nico said knowing full well he would not be going over to the forge.

“Alright, later man.” Leo lightly punched Nico’s shoulder and took off toward the shop. 

Nico shook his head. Leo always had so fucking much energy. 

As he made his way across the yard, he saw Will. The tall blond must have seen him too because he waved Nico over. Nico took a deep breath. His hands shook. It’s just Will. He told himself. Nothing to worry about. But his stomach said otherwise as it filled with a million butterflies.

“Hey,” Nico tried to keep his voice steady. “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing, just thought I’d see how you were doing. It’s been a few days since I’d last seen you.” Will’s voice was soothing to listen to. 

“Gotcha. Yeah, well I’m doing pretty good.” Nico stuffed his shaking hands into his pockets. “Everyone still had all their appendages when they left the arena today, so I call that a win.”

Will laughed, “I would agree with that!”

“Hey,” Will said, “Piper mentioned something about you and Leo playing guitar. I’m not the best but if you ever need help with a few basic chords, I’d be happy to help.” 

“Oh yeah,” Nico said as he tried not to die on the spot. “We are pretty terrible at it. But ya, know. It’s kind of fun. Actually tonight we are meeting up after the bonfire if you want to join us.”

Nico felt the blush creep up. His face was hot and his throat was tight. 

Will smiled and his blue eyes glittered like the ocean. “Cool, I’m free tonight, no medic duty. Whoo! I can’t wait to hear you guys. I’m sure you’re not as bad as you think you are.” 

“Oh, no. We are truly awful. Bring earplugs.” Nico smiled as his blush faded. After the initial shock of talking to Will Solace, it was always so easy to talk to him. 

“Doubtful.” Will laughed. 

“Hey, not all of us are the child of the god of music okay?” Nico laughed.

“Dude, I get it. Like I said, I only know a few basic chords. If you want me to bring Austin, I can see what his next day off is.” Will said, though his smile tightened a bit.

“Nah, that’s not necessary. Just show up with ear plugs and it will be great.” Nico shrugged. “We are meeting in my cabin, less people you know?” 

Will chuckled, “I get that. Okay, so your cabin around 9:00 ish? Right?”

“Yes, that sounds great. See you there.” Nico smiled and waved as the split ways.

Piper McLean and Leo Valdez were officially on his shit list.   
*** 

“I just have one question. What the fuck?” Nico asked. He was wearing just his black jeans and holding up two shirts. One plain black t-shirt the other was an I Prevail band tee. 

Piper and Leo had dressed for dinner and were in their street clothes. That meant that Leo wore slightly less stained jeans and a green graphic tee. Piper wore gray washed skinny jeans and a white t-shirt tied above her navel. It seemed that the older the campers got, the more lenient that Chiron had become about wearing the hideous orange shirts in the evening during the campfire. 

Piper pointed to the band tee and shrugged. “It just seemed like you were never going to do anything about your crush so Leo and I hatched a plan.” 

“Yeah, mi amigo, it was getting painful for me to watch. And that’s saying something. We all know love life is a disaster.” Leo rolled his eyes. 

Leo had been on again/off again with Calypso for quite a while now. 

Nico shot daggers at the two of them as they sprawled across the couch in his living room. 

The room was comfortable, light gray wood floors, with charcoal walls. The room had a black sofa and two matching arm chairs. Over the back of the couch there was a black and white skull patterned throw blanket. In the middle of the room was a black coffee table. It was typical Nico monochrome. 

Nico pulled the band tee over his head and went back to his bedroom. He hung the black shirt up and pulled out two jackets. He brought them out to the living room where Leo and piper were sitting upside down on the couch and eating Twizzlers. 

“Where did you even get the candy?” Nico was sure his face was horrified. “Who raised you guys? Aren’t you both 20?”

“We might be 20, but we are far from grown.” As Piper spoke her hair brushed across the floor. 

“Obviously.” Nico rolled his eyes. 

“Denim jacket with the patches. Leather looks like you’re trying just a bit too hard.” Piper rolled to sit up. “Also, can I play with your hair?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Nico looked to Leo whose face was starting to turn as red as his candy. 

Leo shook his head, “You really don’t.”

Nico sighed as he shrugged into his jacket and then sat in a chair for Piper to mess with his hair. 

“So what snacks are we gonna have at this thing?” Leo asked.

Nico stared. You’re eating candy now, we still have dinner to go to, and then marshmallows at the campfire. How the hell are you even concerned with food for later?” 

Leo started back. “Fine, I guess I’ll just starve to death then.”

Piper had added a little moose to Nico’s hair giving it some ‘body’. Now she was raked her fingers through his hair and was fluffing his hair. 

“Why do I have to be your play thing? Couldn’t you try to hook Leo up with someone less toxic than Calypso?” Nico asked. He knew it was rude, but he was annoyed.

“Hey! We aren’t in a toxic relationship… we just don’t always have to be actually together.” Leo defended himself.

“Red flag number one,” Piper mumbled. “Because I can see this,” she gestured to Nico, “actually going somewhere without a physical altercation.”

“She’s not violent.” Leo said flatly and he righted himself on the couch.

“She’s not violent, but bitch, I might be.” Piper gave Leo a wicked side eye. “You’re basically a brother to me and I’ve seen how terribly she treats you.”

“Hey Pipes, I know you might want to get violent with Cal, but can you maybe not get violent with my hair?” Nico flinched as Piper pulled his hair. 

“Oh, I’m sorry Nico. Calypso just… She gets under my skin! You deserve better Leo.” Piper walked over to sit next to Leo, she rubbed his back as she spoke. “Leo, you have given the entire world a second chance. You deserve someone who is going to value you. Not give you the run around.”

Leo shot Piper a sad look. 

“Not to disagree that I disagree, but Piper only meddle in one person’s life at a time. You’re focused on me right now, seeing as how you told Will Solace I needed help with chords.” Nico was still annoyed but even he had to admit that he was starting to feel excited. 

Leo shot Nico a look that said “Thank you!” And Nico nodded in response. 

“How the fuck am I going to do this?” Nico said as he flopped on to the couch at Piper’s other side.

“Weren’t you talking to him earlier today?” Piper asked. 

“Well, yeah.” Nico nodded. 

Piper patted him on the back. “Just like that only he might touch your fingers to put them in the right spots.” Piper winked at her innuendo.

Leo looked up, clearly thrilled that the attention was off of him, “Hey, do you have any songs that you can show off? Like have you worked on anything outside of what we have done together?”

Nico blushed and looked down. “Just one song. But I’m not sure I want to play it.” 

“What song is it?” Curiosity colored Piper’s voice.

“Nope, I’m not telling. If you guys want to hear it, you’re going to have to wait.” Nico didn’t want to share. It was a private song. One that he only wanted to share with one person. 

“It’s happy birthday huh?” Leo asked.

“It’s definitely not happy birthday.” Nico launched a pillow at Leo’s head. 

Leo easily ducked out of range and laughed. “Fine, keep your secrets. Hey, are you guys about ready to head to dinner?”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Let’s go losers.”

The trio linked their arms together as the y walked out of cabin 13 and headed up to dinner.   
*** 

At dinner Nico ate quickly and then went to sit with Piper. 

“I can’t do this.” He felt his meal ready to make its second appearance. 

“Yes, you can.” Piper spoke clearly and calmly. “You can do this because you know in your heart that you will be happier once it’s done.”

“You’re right, I will be happier.” Nico repeated. It took his a few minutes before he realized what she had done. “Hey, no fair! You can’t charmspeak me!”

“I mean, I can. I just did. Did it help? Did you feel confident for a few minutes?” Piper said between bites of food. 

Nico shot her a withering glare. “Charmspeak me again, and I will pull up a few skeletons and then ‘be too tired’ for company tonight.”

Piper rolled her eyes, “Fine, but I will pep-talk you if you need that. Pinky promise, no more charmspeak…” She held her pinky out to him. He took it in his pinky. 

“No more charmspeak on you for the rest of the night.” Piper winked. 

“Dear gods. Why do I even try with you?” Nico asked.

“Because you love me. Next question.” Piper smiled.

“Ok, why do you even think he would be remotely interested in me? Doesn’t he just see me as a needy patient?” Nico asked in earnest.

“First of all, I am the daughter of Aphrodite, call it a sixth sense if you must. Second, have you ever seen Will check in on any of the other campers as much as he does you?” Piper went back to eating.

Nico sat in thought for a few minutes. Now that he thought about it, Piper had a point. If someone got hurt Will would check in on them once or twice. But with Nico, Will checked in on him once or twice a week for the last few years. 

“So you might have a point,” Nico said slowly. 

“I know. Now,” Piper had finished eating, “Let’s find Leo and get good seats for roasting marshmallows.”

They found Leo and the trio managed to score seats at the front. Nico laughed and sang along. The campfire really was a good time. Not that he would ever admit to anyone that he enjoyed the corny songs or the ridiculous way that battle stories got exaggerated. But it was fun to watch Leo catch marshmallow after marshmallow on fire. You’d think that someone who could literally wield flames would be better at roasting food. As the night drew to a close, Nico felt the butterflies return to his stomach. 

It would be ok. He would get through this.   
*** 

“Alright, I need that pep-talk now.” Nico turned to Piper. 

Leo had left to go get his guitar out of his cabin and that meant Piper and Nico walked to cabin 13 by themselves. 

“Alright,” Piper pretended to roll up her sleeves like she was getting ready to do hard manual labor. “Nico di Angelo, you have fought in multiple wars to save the entire human race. You have walked through the deepest parts of the underworld alone and survived. You have trained hundreds of brand new demigods and they have yet to kill you. You have the strength of and entire skeleton army. You can have a conversation with Will Solace. I promise. He will not bite you.” 

“While you’re not wrong, I’d rather be facing down Kronos right now.” Nico whined. 

“You can do this. I have faith in you. Hey, I’m going to see what is taking Leo forever. I’ll be back in just a second.” Piper headed toward the Hephaestus cabin.

Nico nodded and went to his cabin to wait for them to show up. He left the door open because he knew that Leo, Piper, and Will would be over soon. He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it back in his closet. Back in the living room and while he waited for the others to show up, he pulled out his guitar. It still felt foreign in his hands. He tuned it to the best of his ability, which wasn’t much.

He played a couple of practice chords before he really began to play. It was a favorite of his because it was exactly how he felt. The music had put his feelings into words. It was a way that he was able to express his thoughts. He got lost in the music. 

As he played the intro he closed his eyes and began to sing. 

I'm a ghost in your eyes  
A shadow you can't seem to recognize  
I have a thought of you for every, star in the sky  
But I'm scared, I'll never cross your mind  
Yeah, I'm scared

Will our stars ever align?  
Will two hearts, beat in time?  
These words you should always remember,  
To you, my heart I surrender  
Chasing love that can never be mine  
Maybe one day you'll realize  
These words you should always remember,  
To you, my heart I surrender

Nico had gotten lost in the words and was surprised when he heard someone shuffle in the cabin. He turned to see Will Solace who watched him intently. Nico stuttered and almost stopped. Instead Will nodded in encouragingly. Nico nodded back and kept playing. Nico locked his gaze to Will’s. If this was his moment, he would finish strong. 

And I can't count the times  
I stayed awake pretending you were mine  
Now I'm left here with this emptiness inside,  
Why can't I make you mine?

As he played he walked closer to where Will stood watching him. Each lyric cut deep and made his throat tight. He sang each word with every trace of emotion and passion that he had.

Will our stars ever align?  
Will two hearts, beat in time?  
These words you should always remember,  
To you, my heart I surrender  
Chasing love that can never be mine  
Maybe one day you'll realize  
These words you should always remember,  
To you, my heart I surrender

It wasn’t something he meant in folly. He truly wanted to surrender his heart to Will. He knew that Will was a good guy. He had been under Will’s care more times than he could count. If he could make Will happy in any way, he would do it.

Will our stars ever align?  
Will two hearts, beat in time?  
These words you should always remember,  
To you, my heart I surrender  
Chasing love that can never be mine  
Maybe one day you'll realize  
These words you should always remember,  
To you, my heart I surrender

When the song was over, Nico stood silently with tears in his eyes and waited for Will to say something. He had just poured his heart out, he had nothing left to say. 

“Nico,” Will whispered. His eyes red. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to remind you about the ear plugs.” Nico gave Will a weak smile. 

“Nico,” Will croaked, “Did… Did you mean all of those words? The lyrics of that song?”

Nico’s gut dropped along with his eyes. “Yeah, I did. Look, I get it if you don’t feel the same way-”

Nico stopped talking because Will had grabbed his chin and pulled it up so that Nico was looking him in the eye.

“You don’t know how long...” Will started. “Nico di Angelo. I have waited years for you to be ready. I didn’t want to pressure you into anything…”

Nico stayed frozen. Had he heard correctly? Will had the same feelings for him?

“Can… Can I kiss you?” Will blushed as he asked.

Nico didn’t trust his voice, so he nodded instead. Nico set the guitar in the chair next to him. His heart beat hard in his chest. 

Will kissed Nico delicately. As though he were afraid that Nico might break. In return, Nico melted into Will’s body and wrapped his arms around the taller boy. He kissed Will back with everything he had. 

Will’s lips were soft and warm on his. Nico couldn’t believe that he had finally kissed Will Solace. And that Will had wanted to kiss him back. Nico felt Will’s hands twist into his hair, he couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped him. That only encouraged Will to kiss him back more passionately. 

Nico grabbed Will by his shirt and pushed him onto the couch. His dark eyes glinted mischievously as he moved to straddle Will. Nico placed his hands on Will’s chest and could feel the healers heart beat beneath his palm.

“Is this ok?” Nico asked.

Will nodded. “Absolutely.”

Nico smiled and kissed Will slowly. He trailed lazy kisses along Will’s freckled cheeks. Nico nibbled at Will’s ear while Will pulled Nico as tightly against his body as he could. Nico swayed his hips across Will’s lap which made Will groan and encouraged Nico to continue. He worked his way back to Will’s mouth where he caught Will’s lips in a kiss. Nico broke the kiss so that he bit Will’s bottom lip. 

“Well it’s about fucking time.” Piper’s voice made the two jump apart. 

Nico flushed and slid off of Will’s lap and onto the couch next to the blond boy. Will looked at the floor as he reached for one of the couches many pillows and pulled it across his lap.

“Fucks sake, Piper!” Nico looked at the ceiling as he adjusted how he sat so as not to embarrass himself. “Couldn’t you cough, or knock, or go the fuck away?”

“I could, but then I wouldn’t get to embarrass you. You know that’s my favorite hobby.” Piper smiled as she flopped into the chair that didn’t have a guitar in it. “So, Will. Did you finally spill your guts to him? Or was it Nico that caved first?”

Will looked up from the light gray flooring. “I actually walked in on him playing a song.”

Nico caught Will’s eye and flushed again. 

“Must have been a damn good one,” Piper raised a brow. 

“Wait, what do you mean did Will spill his guts or did I cave?” Nico looked at Will who had returned to staring at the floor. 

Piper cleared her throat pointedly and waited. 

“Well, since Will isn’t going to share with the class… He’s asked about you. A lot.” Piper smiled at Nico. “I told you earlier that it wasn’t just you, but you didn’t believe me.” 

Nico bumped his shoulder to Will’s. “Is that true?”

Will nodded as he looked up. “It is. It started with making sure that you were ok after almost dying and everything. But then the more I watched you, fuck that sounds creepy.” Will laughed as he scratched the back of his neck.

“What I mean is that I watched how you interacted with the young and scared campers. How you took so many people under your wing. How you have worked hard to get healthy again. I couldn’t help but fall for you. You might have a tough guy attitude,” Will ran his hand down Nico’s tattooed arm. 

“But you genuinely care. You care for people and it’s beautiful. It’s one of the many beautiful things about you.” Will stated bashfully.

Nico scooted closer into Will’s side and Will wrapped his arm around Nico’s shoulders. 

“I can’t believe you’ve felt this way for so long and didn’t say anything.” Nico said as he cuddled into Will’s side. 

“Okay pot, meet kettle.” Piper laughed. “You’ve both pushed me to my breaking point.”

“Hola!” Leo called out as he entered his guitar in one hand and snacks in the other. “I didn’t miss anything did I? I needed to score some snacks.”

“Only these two dummies making out.” Piper jerked her thumb in the direction of Will and Nico who sat cuddled on the couch.

“Oh?” Leo said as he looked over at the couple on the couch for the first time since entering cabin 13. “I see. So Nico, is he as good of a kisser as you’d hoped?”

Nico blushed and hid his face into Will’s side. 

“Nope, I’m intrigued. You gotta answer that one.” Will pulled on Nico’s shoulder so that Nico faced him. 

Nico didn’t lift his gaze from Will’s eyes, “He’s an even better kisser than I ever could have imagined.”


End file.
